When people consider a new employer they might think about a number of key factors, including location, salary, opportunities for growth and advancement, pension and others.
One factor which has emerged in recent years is consideration of a potential employers stance on social issues, most particularly relating to their values. More than this, however, research by our guest today – Professor Moritz Appels – highlights that potential hires also consider a CEO’s sociopolitical activism in evaluating how attractive a new, potential employer might be.
About our guest…
Moritz Appels is an Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the Department of Organisation and Personnel Management, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. He obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Mannheim in 2022.
His research illuminates how the behaviour of corporate actors shapes and is shaped by organizational and societal change, with a particular focus on the relationship between strategic leadership, social evaluations, and the broader socio-political environment. A particular focus of his work is the impact of corporate and CEO activism—e.g., speaking out on gun ownership in the U.S.—on stakeholder behaviours. He is likewise involved in understanding the environmental and dispositional antecedents of top managers’ engagement in organisational and societal change.
You can find out more about Moritz and his work at these links:
Series 2, Episode 37: The challenge and opportunity of CEO activism, with Asst Professor Moritz Appels, Rotterdam School of Management